Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-03-11

The Colorcd Man-uis Traits His Cabin
HIS " ork and Wages.

blacks, and yellows, in the South. The
colored man with his mule and his rags
is bv far the most interesting from pic
turesque point of view | must confess
that like n lazy man, one who is con
tented with his lot whatever that may be
especially one who does not feel called
upon to reform the world, or even "to
make two blades of glass to grow where
but one grew before" Now the cOlored
man, as a rule, is not a refOrmer aud is
not ambitious His cd army overcoat,
his moth eaten mule, and his log cabin,
satisfy his highest aspiration. ] doubt
whether lac would change this for all the
wealth of the Wall street speculator, if
he had to take the latter's anNietes. 1t
gives me real pleasure, of which am
| little bit ashamed, to watch group OF
darkes leaning against the sunny side of
the depot, their hands in their pockets,
and the sunlight glistening from their
white teeth as they guilaw at every sally
OF wit. OF course they ought to br ut
work but if they were the landscape
would lose one of its most striking iea
lures. Perhaps our COlored friend Is wise
when he lets the white brother take all
the money and most Of the work.
If one Is to treat of the colOred man
from picturesque point Of view, he natu-
rally commences with his cabin. AS the
northern visitor is whirled through this
country on the cars, the log cabins a tract
his attention from the start They are
not stately in appearance, being 10 or 10
feet square, of but one story in height.
I The two striking features about them
are, first. the total absence OF windows.
| WHY there are no windows in these cab
| ms | do not know. 1t may be from some
chronological instincts, or 1t may have
sprung from some reasons appertaining
| to the reign of the ku-kluX. They have
not even window holes i'll most of these
cabins.
The second striking feature is the big
| log or stone chimney, built at one end of
the house. These chimnevs are some
three feet square at the base, but contract
when about four feet from the ground so
as to be two feet square at the top. They
are most frequently built of logs, plaster
ed inside and outside with mud. 1t is a
perpetual query to me whether Il south
erner builds his chimney first and then
anchors his house alongside of it, or ricC
rCrSd The two are independent, and each
stands on its own bottom. The chimney
is the last to fall, and it is not an unusual
sight to see chimneys standing, like SEN
tnels, over the ruins of houses destroyed
20 years ago, during war times.
The typical negro cabins then, are built
of logs and have at one end smaller log
cabin for chimney.
a peep inside the cabin shows it to con
| tain but one room, very little furniture and
| a good many cracks between the logs. The
most striking thing, is the cavernous fire
! place at the end of the room. At this
season of the year, logs of wood are smol-
dering there, and in all the cabins that
have seen, there have been from two to six
black headed pckaninies toasting them
selves in the ashes, resembling group of
black and tan puppies.
One would imagine that these cabins
are of necessity dark and dismal owing
to the absence of windows. However,
the door is open all day long, and there
are generous cracks between the logs, so
that light and ventilation are not wanting.
One cabin that passed by had struck the
latest thing in doors, namely the substitu-
ton of curtains, (portieres | believe they
are called in the fashionable world in
stead of wooden doors. This portere
was hung at the outside door, and consist
ed of a strip of coarse baggng as sub
stitute for wooden doors. When a "cold
snap" does come down here, however,
with right smart of snow" lasting
perhaps for "A hours, these little barefoot
ed nigs must suffer Fortunately "cold
snaps" here have the same relations to
winter in general rs warm spells do to
the Vermont winter.
Dinah, who rules the cabin, wears tur-
ban or mans hat on her head and is
usually ornamented with clay pipe be
tween her teeth. Sambo, at this season
of the year, is in the field blowing. | am
told that at night the family sleep around
the fire as hunters do when they cam
out. have tried to imagine how they
cook and what they eat in these cabins
but have given that up 1t must be most
~ corn, pork and bacon. infer this from
the fact that an agricultural labOrer gets
AS his wages. so much per month and q
ration the ration consisting of a bushe
of corn meal ami Is pounds of bacon.
Don't suppose, from this, however, that
agricultural laborers can get nothing else
TO eat they can buy and raise food foI
themselves in addition. They get as wages
SO or SIP per month Il cottage, such as II
Is fire wood garden, and generally
pasturage for Il COW. There are few agri
cultural colOred men working for wages
however. They usually work the land OF
, shares, or rent 1t so much per acre, the or
{ binary price being So The result of thi.
system of renting land is disastrous t.
the land, and is of but little benefit to the
tenant. At the end of the season whel
he makes his crops" he finds that h,
owes the corner store all that his cotton
will bring, and more besides. The ne
| gr0's natural improvidence and the cor
ner stores big prices, make him chronic
debtor.
The colored man rejoices in very poo
health rs general thing-or says he does
In the North we keep stiff upper lip
aud when friend says, "how are YOU
this morning ?" we reply every wei
thank YOU, even though we feel anythin!
but well Now the colored man is not ;,
| conventional apparently. Ask him how
< he feels and he generally says, IL fee
poorly, sah' and as he says it he grin
+ until every tooth in his head is visible.
n To illustrate : u group of colored mel
stood at the corner of the street yesterday
laughing bOisterously. Along comes
darkey from the country, riding his mule
The rider worked his mule up to the side
Y walk when he discovered that one of tn
~ lOaters was an acquaintance.
q "Why,uJames, howdy' says the bucoli
: darkey holding ont his hand.
II 81 don't feel well" says James with a
earnestness.
Y Oats bad Pm feeling poorly mysel
r. HoW's you foxes ~
- They amt well, none on EN-"
"Well my foxes is all down too," wa
, the sympathetic reiOinder